Dyrewulf
Senior Member
Reading some of the threads brought back memories of hunting with my Dad.
Before I was old enough to get a PA. license, I was following him in muzzle loader season in the mountains on one trip. There was probably six to eight inches of snow on the ground, it was very cold, and Dad had missed (we thought) several 'easy' shots on deer that morning.
As he was reloading the .45 cal flintlock (PA was 'flintlock only' back then), I was watching him. I still love muzzle loaders, and at the time, I was facinated with the look of the traditional guns. After Dad reloaded his rifle, he tucked the stock under his arm so he could put his hands in his coat pockets and start looking around again. With the rifle held like this, stock under his armpit, over his forearm, the muzzle was angle downward maybe thirty degrees.
Watching him to see what we were going to do next, I heard this soft 'plupt' sound, and looked down. In the snow in front of him, which hadn't been disturbed before now, there was a small hole. I reached down and dug a bit, and found a .45 cal round ball. (Again, PA. was very strict back then, no mini-balls, round ball and cloth patches, etc.)
Dad didn't believe me at first, but he got his ram rod back out, put the ball removal tip on it, and low and behold, all that was in the rifle was a patch and powder.
When we got home that day, he fired up the smelter and molded a few .45 round balls from his newest mold, then a few from his old single mold. The new, 4 ball mold mic'd about .03 smaller rounds than the old one, making the rounds fall clean out of the barrel...
Before I was old enough to get a PA. license, I was following him in muzzle loader season in the mountains on one trip. There was probably six to eight inches of snow on the ground, it was very cold, and Dad had missed (we thought) several 'easy' shots on deer that morning.
As he was reloading the .45 cal flintlock (PA was 'flintlock only' back then), I was watching him. I still love muzzle loaders, and at the time, I was facinated with the look of the traditional guns. After Dad reloaded his rifle, he tucked the stock under his arm so he could put his hands in his coat pockets and start looking around again. With the rifle held like this, stock under his armpit, over his forearm, the muzzle was angle downward maybe thirty degrees.
Watching him to see what we were going to do next, I heard this soft 'plupt' sound, and looked down. In the snow in front of him, which hadn't been disturbed before now, there was a small hole. I reached down and dug a bit, and found a .45 cal round ball. (Again, PA. was very strict back then, no mini-balls, round ball and cloth patches, etc.)
Dad didn't believe me at first, but he got his ram rod back out, put the ball removal tip on it, and low and behold, all that was in the rifle was a patch and powder.
When we got home that day, he fired up the smelter and molded a few .45 round balls from his newest mold, then a few from his old single mold. The new, 4 ball mold mic'd about .03 smaller rounds than the old one, making the rounds fall clean out of the barrel...
